NOTE: This is the third in a series of posts taken from our guide 9: A Simple Guide to Better Presentations. Can’t wait and want to get it all now? Download the eBook for FREE here.

Just as your presentation should emphasize one big idea, make each slide about one thing.

If you have five lines of text on your slide now, break it up into one line on five separate slides.

And get rid of the bullet points, fancy builds, text animation, and slide transition effects.

Too much clutter distracts people. They pay attention to the stuff on your slide instead of you. The purpose of your slide is not to show how clever you are. It’s to help you make your points (see point #1).

Instead, put more time into planning your message. Thee return is much higher than you’ll get on that silly swoosh effect.

NOTE: This is the first in a series of posts taken from our guide 9: A Simple Guide to Better Presentations. Can’t wait and want to get it all now? Download the eBook for FREE here.

Who ever said every talk, meeting, or presentation needs PowerPoint?

Nobody.

Here’s a handy rule of thumb: if it (and “it” means anything in your presentation) helps you make your point, fine. If it doesn’t, consider dropping it.In fact, your presentation may be stronger without slides. (Abraham Lincoln never used PowerPoint.)